Dark Passions
by Bekah See
Summary: Magnus is having nightmares. At first she thinks they're harmless reflections of her work, but they soon grow dark and sinister and she begins to believe there's more to them than was originally thought. Very minor spoilers for eps 1 and 2
1. Chapter 1

Dark Passions

Dark Passions

by Bekah See

Chapter 1

_Emptiness. Behind, ahead, around, above. Darkness. In her mind, her soul, her spirit. Fear. Pervading her essence, her core, her very being. Desire. Scoring her body, her thoughts, her heart._

Dr. Helen Magnus flashed awake, sitting up abruptly in her bed. She quickly looked around her room, now softly lit by sunshine lazing in through filmy drapes, and took a deep breath, trying to quiet the racing of her heart. A dream. It had been a dream. She ran a long fingered hand through her black hair, noting the perspiration, then rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the ache that had lodged in her back. Quietly, she took another deep breath and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She let them hang above the floor for a moment, studying the ruby satin sheets beneath her hands before slipping to the floor and heading for the privy to take care of her morning ablations. She took her time, deliberately slowing the drumming of her pulse, and allowing the downpour of hot water in her shower to calm her jangling nerves. Once she had finished, she felt much more human and ready to face the world. This was fortunate since the world of Helen Magnus was more arduous than most.

Moving into her sitting room, Helen grimaced as the strident tones of her daughter's stereo reached her ears. The doctor liked it quiet in the mornings, but Ashley evidently had other ideas. She looked at the door as it opened to admit her manservant with her morning tea and scones, and hid a grimace. Bigfoot was many things, but a decent cook was not one of them. He did, however, know that she did not enjoy speaking in the morning, and so he set down the tray beside the chair where she had curled herself, and departed, closing the door gently behind him.

Helen picked at her breakfast and stared down into the depths of the rich carpeting under her chair as if she could divine the meaning of her nightmare if she just stared hard enough. That dream had unsettled her more than she liked to admit. Of course, she'd had nightmares before, plenty of them. Terrors such as these were part and parcel to her line of work. But this one had been different. There was an element of something…other… that she just couldn't identify.

Footsteps outside her door and a loud crack of a knock pulled her from her deliberations as Ashley strode into the room. Helen's daughter was nothing if not confident.

"Hi Mom." The young woman said, helping herself to a scone.

"Good Morning, my darling. You're up early. Sleep well?"

"Not bad, I guess. You?"

Helen's mind flashed back to the horrible emptiness pervading her dream, and quickly set down her saucer to hid the sudden shaking of her hand. "Never better. What's on your agenda for today?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. We got that tip about a slimy something or other oozing around in the sewers under the city, and I thought I'd go check it out. Then I'm meeting up with Ernie to stock up on some supplies. After that, I don't really have anything set in concrete. Want to do lunch?"

Helen set her cup down. "I would love to, but I have a rendezvous with a doctor friend scheduled for the lunch hour."

Ashley looked interested. "A rendezvous, huh? Is this friend of the male type?"

Helen gave her daughter a look. "No. And I'll thank you to mind your own business, young lady."

Ashley smirked, not the least bit daunted by her mother's tone.

"Actually, my meeting is with Dr. Susan Fryes." Helen went on, sipping her tea and frowning. The bigfoot--made beverage was barely palatable when scalding hot, which it no longer was. "You remember her, don't you?"

Ashley looked mildly disgusted. "Yeah, I remember. Isn't she locked up in the loony bin?" She bit her lip and put on a look of concentration in a perfect, albeit exaggerated, mockup of her mother's usual pose when faced with a wayward memory. "Let's see, I believe she was caught doing something rather distasteful with certain multilegged insects. Am I right?"

"Yes, that is true." Helen ceded. "And yet, despite her…unusual…state of mind, she is still one of the century's foremost experts in exobiological psychology."

"Which means she thinks she's the bug whisperer, right?"

"I'm sure have no idea what you're talking about, Ashley."

"Of course you don't." Ashley stood up and leaned over to kiss her mother on the cheek. "Well, I'm off to seek the ooze. See ya later, Mom."

"Good-bye, Ashley. And please don't neglect to check in this time."

Ashley waved her acknowledgement and was gone, the door slamming behind her.

An hour later, Dr. Magnus entered her lab to find her associate, Dr. Will Zimmerman in deep conversation with Henry, her tech expert. The heat of their argument told her they were probably still engaging in the same debate that they had done for the past month: whether or not the safety protocols should be voice printed to those of the Sanctuary team. Henry seemed to think it a good idea, which was understandable considering how close he had come to having his mind taken over by the Three Sisters. Will did not agree, arguing that there were probably ghouls out there who would be able to match their voices using some gift they hadn't discovered yet, and so would be able to wreak havoc on the entire mansion if given the opportunity.

Helen smiled to herself. Will had come a long way in the short time he'd been with them, to be able to foresee things like that. She settled herself at her workstation and began catching up on her morning duties. She glanced over at the clock. It was almost exercise hour, she must have spent more time over her breakfast than she'd meant to. Abruptly, the numbers in front of her began to swim dizzily and she closed her eyes to avoid the vertigo. She put a hand to her head, then pulled it quickly away, not wanting the men standing in the front of the room to notice.

Unfortunately, the ploy didn't work.

"You okay?" Will had walked over to her, looking concerned.

"Of course. I'm fine." she said, glancing up at him and firmly telling her head to stay on her shoulders.

The young man eyed her closely. "You sure? You look a little pale. Even for you."

Helen pierced him with her sternest gaze. "I'm fine, Dr Zimmerman. Thank you for your concern. Now, we should probably continue going over the material we began last night…"

The rest of the day passed without incident, and Helen soon forgot about the dizzy spell of the morning as she buried herself in her work. Her meeting with the doctor in the asylum went well, and she came away with several new insights concerning some of her more insectoid abnormals. Soon enough, the sun began to set and Bigfoot called them all for the evening meal.

Supper in the Sanctuary mansion was a somewhat tense affair at the best of times, although it almost always stayed civil. Ashley and Will invariably got into an argument of some kind over the nuances of how to catch an abnormal, with Bigfoot interjecting grunts of affirmation or negation every so often. Helen usually stayed quiet during these "discussions", content to listen to the young people express their rather strong opinions and to see what they were learning. For some reason, the two could never see eye to eye on anything. _They're like siblings_ Helen thought to herself. _They bounce ideas off of one another to see if they like the way they sound. And their personalities are so different that they rarely agree, which gives them both a chance to look at the other side of the topic._ It was a fair arrangement, and, as Will settled in and became less intimidated by Ashley's rather strong personality and of Bigfoot's general presence, he was much more inclined to say exactly what was on his mind.

Helen's thoughts continued in this vein for some time, until she became aware of Ashley's voice saying her name, rather more stridently than was needed.

"Mom!!"

"Ashley, there is no need to raise your voice. I can hear you just fine."

"Um, Magnus, she's been saying your name for the past thirty seconds." Will informed her.

Helen looked at her daughter who was staring at her, concern in her eyes. "Have you?"

Ashley nodded and Helen turned her gaze to her butler, who had frozen in the process of clearing the table and was studying her. She looked back at her child.

"Forgive me, darling. It's been a long day and I'm afraid I am tired. Why don't we go over the plan to catch our sewer friend, and then I willl retire for the night."

Ashley continued to look at her mother for a moment, then nodded and outlined her ideas.

Evidently the abnormal in question had been content to snack on stray animals up to this point, but now was gearing toward humans as its size grew and small dogs and cats could no longer sustain it.

"It can squelch through almost anything and then re-form on the other side without missing a beat. And projectiles seem to go right through it."

Helen's head snapped up. "You shot it?"

"Just with a tranq gun, mom. It was coming at me pretty quick. But, like I said, the dart just went right through it and hit the wall on the other side."

"So how are we going to catch it?" Will asked.

"What would you recommend, Doctor?" Helen looked at him expectantly.

"Uh, well, I guess we could gas it."

"You're assuming it has a respiratory system."

"Oh. Right. Well, maybe we could come up with some kind of compound that willl neutralize its viscous nature long enough to bag it and get it back here."

"Very good, Doctor Zimmerman. You're thinking in the right direction. And I believe we have just the thing." Helen outlined what she needed to her butler, who assured her that he would have everything ready for her in the morning. Then the doctor stood and put her napkin on the table, surreptitiously leaning on it as the room swayed. "Now if you all will excuse me, I will say good-night." Thankfully, the room righted itself in time for her to be able to move away without disgracing herself.

Her back being turned, she didn't see the look of concern that passed between the three people behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_She felt, saw, heard him, reached for him, felt him slip through her fingers, vanishing and reappearing behind. Felt his touch on her body, inflaming her, making her groan as her head fell back, exposing her neck, sensed his presence flowing over her, enveloping her, filling the yawning emptiness with a version of himself. Fear flared, pushing him away, wrestling for control of herself, felt him retreat. Panic, no don't go! Returning to her, wrapping around her, fueling her need, her desire…._

Her eyes fluttered open to the fluted light of morning, then clamped shut again as the first pangs of a headache pierced her skull. She groaned softly and put a hand over her eyes, watching as the last vestiges of her dream raced through her mind. She was exhausted. Her early retirement the night before seemed to have had no effect on her fatigue. If anything, she was more drained now that she had been then.

Rising, she showered and dressed, dismissing several waves of dizziness as a symptom of some small virus she may have picked up somewhere, and went to meet Ashley and Will for their jaunt into the sewers.

Everything was laid out as promised when she entered the armory and she busied herself inspecting her weapons and securing them about her person. When Ashley and Will entered a few minutes later, she was studying the compound she had requested, tilting the vial this way and that in the light above. There were no impurities in the deep purple color that she could detect. Excellent. She loaded several explosive canisters with measured amounts of the chemical, and when she looked up again, her associates were ready. She nodded to them and she and Will climbed into her car and were driven away by Bigfoot, Ashley following along on her bike.

Helen said nothing on the trip and Will generally respected her silence, although he opened his mouth several times to speak. He was worried about her, she knew, but since she did not know what to say that would reassure him, she remained quiet.

Finally they pulled to a stop alongside a large drainage pipe that was covered in sticky green fluid evidently left behind by the creature. They clambered out of the car and walked up to the entrance, studying the smear.

"Hell of a snail trail." Will muttered, following Helen inside. Ashley appeared a moment later and moved to the front, her weapon drawn, and her stance ready to move quickly if needed.

The other two followed her lead, still saying nothing. The trail grew fresher, the slime coating the walls becoming brighter and beginning to glow slightly.

"Bioluminescent." Helen murmured. "Interesting."

"Yeah. Just beautiful." Ashley muttered back. "I think we're getting close."

"How can you tell?" Will asked in a whisper.

"Listen." Ashley stopped and cocked her head, pointing down an adjoining tunnel and evidently hearing something.

Helen was having a problem listening to anything but the pounding of the blood in her head. She wished she had remembered to take an analgesic before they'd left this morning. Ah well, nothing for it now.

"Okay, is that what I think it is?" Will said, his face paling in the faint glow of the ooze.

"If you think it's our blob digesting something large, then yes, you'd be right." Ashley said quietly. "Let's go."

The three started down the tunnel and before long came upon a sight Will hoped never to see again. A huge mound of undulating black goo was blocking the way in front of them, green fluid secreting sickly down the sides and from the top, pooling on the floor around it.

A pair of legs were visible on the ground beside it, with the rest of the body disappearing into the cavity of the creature. The legs twitched horribly, then were still.

"Ew." Will said, his face twisting in disgust.

Helen studied the scene. "The liquid must be a digestive agent." She said thoughtfully. "It secretes it as it feeds, allowing it to ingest large quantities in a short amount of time."

"That's just great." Ashley said. "How 'bout we bag it before it 'ingests' one of us?" And without another word, she aimed her weapon and fired a canister out of a large rifle. The canister hit the abnormal and exploded, sending the purple chemical spraying over its gelatinous hide. The purple sunk into the green, forming what looked like a large bruise, and then disappeared, leaving the creature unharmed. It was, however, rather angry, and, abandoning its grisly meal, it turned and charged at them.

"Running would seem a prudent course of action." Helen said, turning and pushing Will ahead of her.

"Let's go, Doc!" Ashley said, sprinting along behind them.

Helen ran hard, Will right in front of her. Her feet pounded the concrete below, splashing only god knew what onto her pants and shoes. She stumbled briefly, losing her balance as her head began to swim again, but she forced it away and kept going. Now was NOT the time for a dizzy spell.

Finally the trio reached the entrance to the drainpipe and burst out into full daylight, the creature right on Ashley's heels. She cried out and fell as it brushed her ankle with something, but she scrambled out of the way before it could barrel over her, and it continued past.

Magnus looked over her shoulder and watched as Ashley tried to rise. She looked up at the creature and raised her eyebrows. It was no long green, and no longer moving. It had turned an ugly gray color, and was sitting in one place, quivering in the sunlight. She made to move toward her daughter to see to her injury, but the world chose that moment to show her exactly how fast it was really spinning, and Will had to catch her to keep her from falling.

"Whoa. You okay?" he asked, not releasing her until she found her balance.

"I'm fine. Please tend to Ashley." she said through gritted teeth. This was getting rather annoying.

Finally the spell passed, and she moved to Ashley's side to examine her ankle. "Did you sprain it?" she asked her child.

"No, that thing touched me with something and all of a sudden I can't feel it. Mom, are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, darling. It probably injected you with a paralytic. It will wear off soon, but you won't be able to ride that deathtrap of a motorcycle home."

"I'll take it." Willl volunteered.

"The hell you will!" Ashley shot back. "Just bag that thing and let's go, okay?"

* * *

Back at the mansion, with the abnormal safely in a sealed and darkened cell, Helen Magnus sat at her desk with her head in her hands. Her headache was growing intolerable, and the medication she had taken hadn't helped. Thankfully, the supper hour had passed and she would soon be able to retire without arousing further suspicions.

She looked up at the sound of footsteps echoing across the marble floor and saw Will approaching her, a determined look in his eyes.

She sighed. She really didn't want to deal with this tonight, but it looked as if she may not have a choice.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" he asked in a tone that brooked no arguments.

She glared at him anyway. "I have a headache."

"You have a headache. That's it?"

"And I've suffered a couple of dizzy spells."

"Really. A couple." he looked at the ceiling, exasperated. "Magnus, you look like hell, you're so off balance you're falling over, and I think your head more than hurts. Your eyes say it's about to explode."

"Well, since you seem to know exactly how I'm feeling, why are you asking me what the problem is?"

He studied her for a moment. "Because I think there's more to it. I get the impression you're not the type to come down with a simple head cold. Call me crazy, but I'd guess that long-lived constitution of yours keeps you pretty healthy. Now come on, out with it."

She was silent for a moment. Then, "Fine. I've been having nightmares lately that have kept me from sleeping well."

"That doesn't surprise me considering the kind of work we do."

"Yes, well, these are different. I've had the same one for two nights now, but it's getting more intense."

"And you think these nightmares are related to your physical symptoms?"

"I don't know."

"Well, do you want to talk about them? Sometimes getting them out in the open can lessen their power."

Helen thought about the dreams, the dark passion, the absolute abandon of inhibitions, and was surprised to find a flush running through her body, ending in her cheeks. "No. But thank you for the offer, Will." She sighed. "I'm about to go to bed and see if I can get some rest. Perhaps we could discuss it more in the morning?"

Will seemed about to object, but then closed his mouth and nodded.

She smiled at him and retired to her room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_He was back, his presence immediately wrapping itself around, through, into her, burying itself in her mind, in her body. Touching her completely, fully meshing itself within her. On and on it went, her heart racing, drumming through her skull, her eyes shut, seeing everything, feeling nothing but him, tasting his shadow, sensing his passion, hearing his whisper as it wove through her mind. Now he was pulling her with him down, down, down into the inky blackness from where he'd come, red slashes forming shapeless and fleeting wounds around her body as she followed…_

Magnus woke slowly and laid still, trying to control the pounding behind her eyes. She stifled a groan at the coming day. She knew today she would have to attempt to communicate with the newest abnormal in her care, but she really didn't know how she was going to do so. She'd had problems functioning normally yesterday, and so far there was no indication today would be any less difficult. Magnus breathed deeply, focusing inward, attempting to recall the images, the feelings that the figure in her dream had aroused. She remembered him now, a vaguely flowing darkness, cut from the emptiness surrounding him. He had no form, but could simply flow into her, through her, spiking her loneliness until she reached for him out of desperation and pulled him in where he could…what? What could he do? It was a dream, something her mind had conjured, perhaps in answer to her continued anguish concerning the fate of John Druitt.

She sat up in her bed, pulling the sheet up with her to cover herself, even though she was already fully draped in a white satin nightgown. She felt exposed, vulnerable in a way she had not felt in years. She looked around her room, certain she was going to find something leering at her out of the shadows, but saw nothing but the comforting order of her chamber. _Ridiculous. _She scolded herself. _You're acting like a frightened child. You've simply contracted a virus of some kind. _

Shaking her head at her paranoia, Helen rose and walked toward her wardrobe, where she caught herself as her knees buckled, almost sending her to the floor. She pulled herself up again and steadied herself carefully before opening the wardrobe and looking in the mirror. What she saw surprised her.

Her skin was a pasty white, dark circles shining like bruises under her normally blue eyes, which had dulled to a gunmetal gray. She was sweating slightly with the exertion of crossing her bedroom, and her hands were shaking as if she were freezing.

_Definitely a virus. _She thought to herself.

She finished her morning routine, continually hanging on to something in case her legs failed her again. She'd had to shower quickly, noting clinically that the steam seemed to trigger her dizziness, forcing her to kneel more than once until her equilibrium was restored.

She dressed in warm clothes, trying to banish the chill that had settled under her skin following her shower, then, ignoring the breakfast set out for her, left her room and headed straight for her lab. Ashley and Will were waiting for her.

Sensing a trap, Helen spoke warily. "Good morning, Ashley, Will. Did you sleep well?"

Neither of them spoke, they simply looked at her and waited for her to continue. When she did not, Ashley blurted, "Mom, maybe you should take the day off."

"Take the day off?" Helen said, avoiding her daughter's gaze. "Why would I wish to do that?"

"Well, maybe because you look like.."

"You look exhausted." Will cut in with a clinical timbre to his voice. "You've been pushing yourself too hard, Magnus. You need a break. Why don't you rest? Ashley and I can handle the monst...uh…abnormal."

Helen turned her glare on him and opened her mouth to object when a fresh wave of vertigo came over her, almost toppling her off her chair. She closed her eyes and gripped the table before her with both hands until the dizziness and accompanying nausea passed, then looked up again. Will had moved closer, putting a steadying hand on her shoulder. Ashley was staring at her as if she'd sprouted horns. She rarely saw her indestructible mother weakened.

"I assure you both that I am fine." She took a deep breath and made the world to stop spinning by sheer force of will. "However, as it seems no one believes this but me, perhaps I will allow a rest period for today." She looked sternly at them both. "But there will be no more talk of my infirmity, is that clear? I will be back at work tomorrow."

Will nodded, Ashley echoing him belatedly. "Good. Off with you, then." Helen bent her head to her work and did not look up again until the young ones were gone. Once she was sure she was alone, she folded her arms on her desk and laid her head down briefly, suddenly too fatigued to get up and go back to her room. A heavy hand on her shoulder caused her to raise her head and once again she was forced to shut her eyes against the ensuing spinning of the room.

"You don't look well." Bigfoot rumbled.

"So I've been told." Helen grimaced. She patted her manservant's massive arm. "I assure you I'm fine."

"Of course you are." he replied in his measured tones. "May I assist you back to your chamber to refresh yourself?"

Helen pushed herself up from her desk, inwardly alarmed at the weakness of her legs. She nodded to her butler and he helped her back to her room and left her to undress and return to her bed.

_Desire pounded through her, chasing away the fear that gnawed at her mind. Streaks of red again slashed the emptiness, throwing shadows of his form across her vision. He ebbed and flowed through her, around her, pulling her closer, his mouth hot on her neck, his touch searing the tender flesh of her body as he caressed her, drawing her more and more into himself, touching, feeling, tasting, wanting, needing, aching, pulling, more, More, MORE…_

A scream ripped through the mansion, making Bigfoot bolt from his room and back to the doctor's chambers where he burst through the door to find her arching and thrashing in her bed, sweat pouring from her in waves, her breath coming in gasps that wrenched his heart. He grabbed the phone and called Ashley and Will over the intercom, then took a towel from the washroom and wet it before returning to Helen's side. He sat next to her and began stroking her head, murmuring in his rumbling voice, telling her it was alright, that she was not alone and that help was on the way.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Drowning, pulling, falling. Desire, ache, longing, help me! Losing, crying, tumbling; darkness, emptiness, nothingness stretching endlessly above, blackness yawning underneath, help me! Light! Where! Where is it?! Tell me! Where? Leave me. No, no more! Fear, longing, touching, searing, burning, crying out, I want more, please no more, help me!_

"MOM!"

Her daughter's voice brought her out of it just enough. Helen's eyes flew open, Wild and unseeing at first, then focusing on her child and fixing on her like a lifeline.

Ashley's hands were on her mother's shoulders, still now, but ready to shake her again if she needed to. The young woman was frightened. More so than she had been facing any ghoul, more so than she had ever been in her life. Her mom was strong. She never got sick, never succumbed to anything anyone had thrown at her. Now she was staring wide eyed and empty, staring as if her life depended on keeping Ashley in her sightline.

She looked at Will in desperation. He acknowledged her plea and moved to Helen's side, where Ashley made room for him to sit down.

"Helen." He kept his voice low and even, trying to soothe her, to bring her back from where ever she had gone. "Helen, listen to my voice, listen to the sound and follow it back to us. Listen to my voice, Helen. We are here to help you. I'm here, Ashley's here, we're all here…" He kept talking, not knowing if he was getting through, but knowing he couldn't stop.

_Darkness, heat, pounding desire, drowning, blackness, fear, failure. ASHLEY! _

_No, come to me, come with me. Let me soothe you, feel you, touch you, taste you._

_No, no more, please, no more_

_You want this, yes, you want this, let me take you home and we can be together forever. No more loneliness, only this. Heat, fiery desire, escalating, growing, growing, crying out for release, panting, pulling, grasping,_

_ASHLEY!!_

With a mighty pull that cost her the last of her strength, Helen forced herself out of the blackness threatening to completely engulf her core and focused again on her daughter. She opened her mouth, struggled to form words. "Something... in my mind…blackness…pulling…"

Ashley looked helplessly at Will. "What should I do?"

Will thought fast. "It sounds like there's something in her mind that is trying to suck her in permanently. It must have started a couple of nights ago. She mentioned nightmares, but I didn't think anything of it considering the kind of work we do. But it must have been more than that. If there is something inside her trying to pull her in, it may need some form of permission for her or else it would have just done it all in one shot instead of drawing it out like this." He looked at Ashley, intensity burning in his eyes. "She's obviously only seeing you. You need to tell her to fight it. To resist no matter what. Talk to her, Ashley, don't let her go."

The young woman's heart dropped into her stomach. She wasn't good at this kind of thing and being scared witless wasn't helping, but she knew she had to try. "Mom, come on, you've got to fight this thing. You can't let it get you, okay? Fight it."

Helen's eyes began to unfocus again, her gaze slipping away from her daughter.

_Yes, come with me, dear one, let me love you, touch you. Give in to your need, succumb to the darkness that holds you safe from the world._

_Falling, drifting, receding, lying, devouring, deceiving, NO! You cannot have me, Willl not have me. I am my own! Ashley! Help me!_

Ashley could tell her words were not getting through and was starting to get desperate. "Please mom, you can't leave me! You're all I've got, please don't go. Don't let this thing take you from me! Please!" She was crying in earnest now, "Mom, I love you, please don't go." Over and over she said it, her tears falling unnoticed onto her mothers sheets.

_Come now, you must come with me, we are together, we are one_

_No, no more, please let me go, oh god, oh god, no more, yes, yes, no more_

_Heat, passion, burning, searing, growing, pulling, engulfing, drowning, falling_

_NO!!_

With a wrenching cry, Helen heaved a huge breath and blew it out forcefully, expelling a black cloud that wailed horribly as it disappeared in the daylight streaming in through the window. Helen's body went slack against the bed and she looked up at the ceiling for a time, breathing hard, trying to come back to herself. Slowly she became aware of pressure on her hands, and she looked down at them, then over at her daughter. Ashley cried out as she saw awareness and lucidity come back into her mother's eyes, and threw herself into her arms.

"Ashley." Helen's voice was weak, but it was her own. "I heard you. I could hear your voice and followed it back. Thank you."

Helen looked over her child's head at Will and her manservant and gave them both a miniscule smile. "Thank you both." her gaze held theirs, conveying all the warmth and gratitude she couldn't voice.

Both men nodded back and left the chamber as both mother and daughter fell into a deep, healing sleep.


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue

Epilogue

"Good Morning, Magnus, you look better." Will said, looking up from his breakfast as his employer entered the room.

"Thank you, Will. I'm feeling much more like myself." She turned from him to the sideboard and helped herself to tea and toast, then sat across from him at the large table and began to eat.

Will continued to study her, but after a time, his gaze made Magnus uncomfortable, and she looked back at him.

"Would you care to tell me why you find me so interesting this morning?"

"Well, let's see, maybe because less than 24 hours ago you were host to a large, shadowy something that seemed to be trying to eat your brain."

Sighing, Magnus put down her bit of toast. She'd known this was coming, which was why she'd decided to eat in the dining chamber instead of in the privacy of her room. She wanted to get it over with.

"It wasn't trying to 'eat my brain' as you so eloquently put it. But it was trying to devour me in some way." She thought a moment, trying to put her experience into words without becoming too personal. "It did, however, seem to need something from me, something it had to have permission to aquire. I don't really know exactly what it was after, but I do know that, had it succeeded, I would not be sitting here." She looked Will directly in the eye and reached a hand across the table to rest on his own. "I owe you a great debt, Will. You have my thanks."

Before Will could react to this rather startling statement, Magnus had gathered up her tea and toast and left the room with the quiet grace that can only be garnered by great age, great dignity, and great humility.


End file.
